One way to protect your clothes from insect damage and keep them smelling great is to make your own sachets. This tutorial will help you select the best dried plants and oils to use as a green alternative to pesticides to control insects. An added benefit of homemade sachets is a fresh scent for your clothes from your favorite plants.

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How To Make a Sachet Bag

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It is very simple to find ready-made bags for sachets at any craft store or online. However, you can make your own using a small amount of fabric and very basic sewing skills.

Your bag can be very rustic and plain because the really important part is the plant mixture inside. Or, it can be embellished and lovely-even crocheted or knitted. One of my favorite ideas is to use a vintage fabric that has a meaning to you or your family. I used some fabric from a tattered garment that my mother wore as a child to make sachets for our family. These heirloom sachets make a thoughtful and useful gift.

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How to Dry Sachet Ingredients

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You can purchase dried herbs to make sachets but collecting your own materials is part of the fun. Each time you catch a whiff of the scent, you'll remember the lovely flowers and herbs from the garden.

The best time to collect leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds is early morning after the dew has evaporated. Choose plants that are clean, free of any pests or diseases, and flowers that are newly opened. Handle plants carefully to avoid bruising them; bruising releases essential oils much too early. Always collect about four times the amount of plants you think you will need. The leaves and flowers shrink dramatically when dried.

There are several methods for drying flowers and herbs. Since you are not particularly concerned about color and appearance in a clothes sachet as you would be with a bowl of potpourri, air drying is the most simple. Remove blooms and leaves from stems. Place material in a single layer on a screen-like an old window screen-or a tray covered with paper towels. Keep in a warm airy place out of direct sunlight. If drying on a tray, turn the blooms every day to increase air flow. Flowers and leaves are dry when they feel slightly brittle. Check frequently. If over-dried, they will lose too much of their oils and crumble too easily.

Flowers and herbs can also be hung upside down in small bunches. The flower heads and leaves are removed after drying. The drying process takes about two weeks.

When the plant material is dry, store each type in a separate container out of direct sunlight. Glass jars with tight lids are a good choice. Be sure to check the jars after two or three days. If any moisture is visible, remove the lid, and dry more.

If you would like to also make potpourri to place in decorative containers, whole flower heads add a lovely appearance. You can dry whole flowers using laundry borax. The borax method will produce a more brightly colored dried flower than air drying.

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How to Mix Sachet Ingredients

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When you are ready to mix the dried materials for the sachets, gather your ingredients together with a large container for mixing. If the material doesn't have enough scent for your liking, you can add purchased essential oils. Work in small batches so that you can mix it all well. If using essential oils, you should add a fixative that will help the oils cling to the plant material. Orris root or calamus root are good choices. For each quart of plant material, use about two tablespoons of fixative.

For the longest lasting scent-especially if using essential oils, mix everything well and then let the mixture sit in a closed container in a dark, cool place for several weeks. Shake the container every week to mix the ingredients.